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The Lead with Jake Tapper

GOP & Dems Face Political Hurdles With Elections 99 Days Out; "Extremely Dangerous" Tornado Rips Through Wisconsin; Bryan Kohberger Says He Wants To Take Back Guilty Plea; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Releases New Statement And Picture; Firefighters Battle Massive Flames In France and Spain. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired July 27, 2026 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, a major plot twist in a murder case that is captivating the nation. Bryan Kohberger telling The New York Times that he wants to withdraw his guilty plea in the horrific stabbing deaths of those four University of Idaho students. That means this case could now go to trial. What are the chances, though, that that will actually happen?

Plus, dramatic images show wildfires spreading out of control across multiple countries in Europe, and now French officials are warning that it could take months to put out those fires. The flames not only destroying parts of history, but trapping locals and tourists alike. We're on the ground in two of the hardest hit areas ahead.

Also, Republican senator Mitch McConnell and his doctors providing something of an update on his condition today, weeks after emergency responders were seen taking the 84-year-old out of his home on a stretcher. What we're learning tonight about his recovery timeline and when he could return to the Senate, and what questions remain unanswered.

And we just discussed the Democratic drama leading into the midterms with the DNC in disarray, but what is the Republican plan to try and hold on to power? Well, President Trump was on the campaign trail in a key battleground state today. Was his message what the GOP wants to be talking about in these final 99 days?

The Lead tonight, two major stories in our Law and Justice Lead. Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of brutally stabbing and killing four University of Idaho students, says he wants to take back his guilty plea. New court documents show Kohberger, who studied criminology, says his plea hinged on, quote, false promises.

In a statement to CNN, Idaho's attorney general says his office is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure justice is carried out and acknowledges the profound pain this news brings to the families of the victims who, let's name them, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. May their memories be a blessing. Also today, it has been almost six months since the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother. Today, Savannah, an anchor on NBC's Today Show, posted a new video, her first Instagram video since April, pleading to whomever took her mother. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC ANCHOR: I'm coming on today with a very specific message. It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part, and we will never stop looking for her. We will always ache for her and feel that hole in our hearts.

The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way. So, I'm asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end.

For all of us, no matter where we've been and what we've done, I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: More on that heartbreaking message from Savannah Guthrie in a moment. But we are going to start with the Idaho case, and CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now.

Jean, does this mean that Kohberger is going to get a new hearing?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think we need to look at this, and we need to find out more of what the substance is. We just got the documents in our hands from Idaho handwritten by Bryan Kohberger, number one, asking for appointment of new counsel, and the second document basically saying he has no money, and he needs some of the costs appropriated for this.

But according to the plea agreement, he waived all of his appellate rights. But there's a little asterisk in theory by that because the plea agreement, and he was asked if it was voluntarily made -- I was in the courtroom when this all happened. But if something happened since then, because he's alleging, as you said, Jake, threats, false promises, wrong information, if something came to light, and he's questioning the validity of that plea agreement that that what it really was, he wasn't freely admitting, then I think there could be something here.

[18:05:01]

But I've got to tell you, I was there, and this was a whirlwind because I'm in New York, all of a sudden we hear he's going to plead guilty. From one day to the next, we had to get there. The families came out saying, we don't have time to get to the courtroom. We live all around Idaho. It's going to take hours for us to get there. But they all got there. And many of them said that they were not asked at all if they would agree to this plea. The Goncalves family was most outspoken, saying they were not in favor of it, but they didn't have a choice.

It all happened so fast, Jake, that I'm curious to see what he says the reason is. And we don't have the substance yet at this point. He needs an attorney. He wants an attorney, but I've never seen anything so quickly happen in the legal arena.

TAPPER: Jean, what are you hearing from the families of the four students, the victims here?

CASAREZ: Well, the Goncalves family, they are always the ones that have been the most outspoken, and they released a lengthy statement today. Let's read in part what that is. First of all, the family says, the mosquito that you just can't seem to swat, that is what Bryan Kohberger and his following have been becoming to this family.

Quite to the contrary, he appealed in court, they say, in a hearing in front of a judge with his four lawyers he did after deciding not to leave this fate and the fact of the case up to a jury to decide his guilt. He never cried wolf or claimed he was uninformed, pressured, or that there were issues with the discovery that he and his counsel had for two years that he thought should have been challenged.

You know, one interesting note to this, he wants the appointment of counsel. Anne Taylor, phenomenal attorney, public defender, chief public defender, he is not asking that she continue as his lawyer. That speaks some volumes there.

TAPPER: All right, Jean Casarez, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig is here now. Elie, what chance does Kohberger have of succeeding here?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Jake, it's not quite mathematically impossible that he succeeds, but it's close. This is 1,000 to 1 chance. Defendants plead guilty all the time, and it's not at all uncommon for them to try to bail out at the end, and it almost never works.

Now, under Utah law, there's a couple ways that Kohberger can try to do this. One, he can claim that he's factually innocent, but that's ridiculous. There's DNA tying him to the scene. He admitted his guilt during the plea hearing that Jeanjust referenced.

And the other way is to show that he was somehow deceived or coerced into pleading guilty. But the problem with that is when he pled guilty a few weeks ago, the judge went through meticulously, do you understand what you're doing? Have you met with your attorney? Have you been have -- do you understand that you're waiving your right to a jury trial? And so when you make a record like that, it's really hard to come back and say, no, I didn't actually understand what I'm doing. So, I think this is an extreme long shot.

TAPPER: Do the families of the victims have any say at all? Do they get to weigh in? HONIG: Technically not as to the decision of whether he gets his guilty plea back. The families do get a say as to whether there's a plea deal in the first place. They certainly get a say as to sentencing.

But that sort of underscores one of the ongoing tragedies of this. These families have been through so much already beyond just the loss of their children. They have had to go through this process. There was some difference among the families as to whether he should have even been given that plea deal in the first place, which gave him a life sentence, but spared him a potential death sentence. And now, as you just saw in the statement from the victim family, the nightmare continues for them. It's completely unjust and tragic.

TAPPER: Elie Honig, thanks so much.

Let's turn now to the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's tragic disappearance, and the new emotional plea from her daughter, Savannah, today.

Former FBI agent Bryanna Fox joins us now. Bryanna, what stands out to you in this new video? Is there anything in this plea from Savannah that you think might compel the kidnapper to come forward?

BRYANNA FOX, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA: Right. Well, in a way, I am glad that Savannah's keeping the pressure up. I think that's what the research shows eventually leads to case closure. But we know the money didn't compel this person to come forward, either an accomplice or the intruder, kidnapper themselves.

So, what I thought was interesting is Savannah was appealing to their better nature. She said, you know, I know that you've been trying to do the right thing. She said, you know, it's never too late. These are consistent themes that Savannah has been saying since she's been receiving these ransom notes and responding to them. I thought that was very interesting, and she's trying to say, we're not going to judge you. We just need the truth. And that's what she's hoping they will do.

TAPPER: A couple of weeks ago, the FBI's Phoenix office said some of the ransom notes sent to news outlets earlier this year were hoaxes, were fraudulent. Do you think that might have anything to do with the timing of this new plea?

[18:10:00]

FOX: I do. I think that this, you know, almost steady stream of information that's been coming out about these ransom notes, I think Savannah's media savvy enough, especially given her position. She knows that keeping the conversation going, that's the best way that she has hoped to find who did this to her mother.

I think that there has been some debate about whether these ransom notes are real. They may have put all their eggs in that basket, and maybe she's thinking, maybe there's more to this story, and maybe there's somebody else out there that we weren't expecting that has information, and maybe they've just been keeping quiet, and money wasn't enough to convince them. There's a huge reward, and that wasn't enough. Maybe by appealing to them or showing that there's a lot of pressure on this case still, that will do the trick.

TAPPER: I thought it was interesting, as you noted, appealing to whoever this person is, sense of decency. She also even seemed to be expressing some sort of empathy, saying, the world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way. Tell me what you think about that.

FOX: That was the exact line I picked up on too, Jake. It was the idea that, you know, they could be in the same boat. It was really connecting with this person. Things, you know, probably were not great that the person would think to even do something like this. So, she's saying, you know, we have a lot more in common. It's humanizing her, but also showing that she's humanizing the person that did this to her mother. And she was really trying to appeal to them and saying, you know, you could still be a good person by coming forward, by saying the truth, by helping us find our mother.

I think that sounds a lot like what we've seen Savannah do over, you know, this horrible ordeal. But I think she's also thinking this is a different tactic the thing, because again, so far nothing has worked, and I hope that that is the thing that does pan out.

TAPPER: This wasn't what you were try -- to the bad guy, to do, this was a horrible, horrible accident. Don't you think?

FOX: I do, and I think because of the ransom note, even a ransom, were these even real? People are now debating, was ransom even the point of this? Maybe it was a burglary that had gone wrong, or maybe another, you know, reason, and kidnapping Nancy was never the goal. So, I think she's saying, you know, the world can, you know, be cruel and can have these ugly turns, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person. I think that's what Savannah's trying to frame it as for them.

And, hopefully, again, by keeping this conversation going, by always keeping her mom in the news, I think that's her hope that she will eventually reach this person, their sensibility, and get them to come forward, or someone around them. Somebody probably knows something and just hasn't said it yet, and I think she's talking to those people as well.

TAPPER: Bryanna Fox, thank you so much. And as always, our deepest love and prayers to Savannah and her family.

And let's now turn to a new investigation underway in Virginia. Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy's wife, Mia, is in stable condition after being shot earlier today at their home in Ashburn. The local sheriff's office says the couple's son, Elijah, is under arrest and is facing criminal charges in connection with the shooting. The 27-year-old is being held without bond.

Coming up, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Washington ahead of a meeting with President Trump tomorrow. Netanyahu says Iran is his top priority. So, what does that mean for any future U.S. strikes?

Plus, CNN is on the ground in both France and Spain as fires rage out of control. Tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated as officials warn the flames could burn for months.

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TAPPER: In our World Lead, what is really behind this sudden three-day pause in U.S. strikes on Iran? Today, President Trump says it's because Iran asked, quote, very nicely, unquote, to meet. But Iran says there are no negotiations happening right now.

Also this weekend, sources told CNN that Vice President J.D. Vance and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Raizin Caine, raised concerns about escalating the conflict, the potentially dwindling U.S. stockpile of important weapons, and increased civilian deaths in Iran.

This afternoon, President Trump said the U.S. is still the, quote, strongest it's ever been, adding this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Frankly, it would be very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. And you know who wouldn't survive without us? Israel. Bibi's coming here, he'll tell you. If I didn't get involved, and if I didn't blow up those nuclear -- essentially soon to be nuclear weapons, the dust, as I call it, Israel would've been terminated months ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now is the Israeli opposition leader to Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid. Thanks so much for being here.

You're here for the funeral -- you're here in the United States for the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to attend as well. Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet. Trump was asked if Netanyahu is going to ask Trump to strike a deal on Iran, or if he wants him to continue to militarily strike Iran, Trump didn't answer. What do you think Netanyahu wants, and what do you think is in the best interest of Israel?

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER: I think in everybody's best interest is, I've been saying this since April 2024, we should have joined forces and bomb Iran's energy facilities, the island of Kharg and elsewhere.

TAPPER: Everything that was struck last year, you mean, or --

LAPID: Yes, no, everything that wasn't struck last year.

TAPPER: Okay.

LAPID: Everything that is the economical infrastructure of the regime.

Listen, you have to remember that there's young, wonderful people who took to the streets of Tehran in January before the strikes. Did this not because of Hezbollah Israel, or the United States, or the big Satan, or the small Satan. They did it because of the economy. So, if you take away the economy, then the regime will fall apart.

[18:20:00]

And this is -- to me, if there's no regime, then there's no nuclear program, there's no ballistic missile program, then all the dangers they are presenting the Middle East and the world are gone.

So, this should be the number one priority, to overthrow the regime. And to overthrow the regime is through the economy.

TAPPER: There's been a huge surge in violence in the West Bank after two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians were killed in various clashes. Now, the IDF is sending in reinforcement, conducting raids. Haaretz reports that senior IDF officials are warning that Israel's political leadership, that they're saying that the political leadership, I assume they mean Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, probably Netanyahu as well, they're emboldening these zealots, the settler violence, against Palestinians, and they're being met with silence as they try and to call tensions. The political leaders are not stepping in.

How do you think Netanyahu should handle this differently? Or better yet, how would you handle it as prime minister?

LAPID: I would send 300 police officers and two battalions of borders patrol and deal with it. The -- first of all --

TAPPER: Deal with the settlers?

LAPID: With the settlers' violence.

First of all, this is Jewish terror. This is a disgrace for Israel. And nobody understands why we're not -- the government is not taking stronger measures, and they are right. And Netanyahu said in Fox News, if I'm allowed to say Fox News --

TAPPER: Yes, you can say it. That's where he goes.

LAPID: So, he went to Fox News and said, these are only 150 young people who are, you know, hoodlums and hooligans. If it's only 150 young people, why aren't you doing something about it?

So, what would we do? We will deal with it and make sure these -- this is not even the settlers. This is just terrorists and should be dealt as such. This doesn't mean we're going to allow others or them to kill Jews in the West Bank, but, basically, it's a disgrace. It's now a disgrace because of what they, you think about it in America. It's because of what it's doing to us, how it reflects to us, what kind of moral standards we have. TAPPER: Journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, they have a new book called, "Regime Change". I'm not sure if you've read it. It has some fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes about Trump's second term, including reporting on a September phone call between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu as Trump was seeking this peace deal in Gaza. It has -- let me just read it. Quote, Trump told Netanyahu he was sick of his antics. I'm going to curse because the president did, so I apologize to you and to our viewers.

LAPID: A gentle --

TAPPER: Yes, you're -- I know. I don't want to offend your delicate sensibilities. I've done everything to protect you, Trump said. You better fucking go along with this. It's been going on for too fucking long. Everybody's sick of you, Bibi, Trump said. All the Jews are sick of you. Even the two Jews on this call are sick of you, Trump added, referring to Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. You can't back out of this. Trump tick through a list of controversial decisions he'd made supporting Israel through both of his presidencies.

What's your reaction to this, and also to Trump saying that Jews, including Kushner and Witkoff, are getting sick of Netanyahu?

LAPID: You know, I know I'm supposed to be happy about this because he's my political rival, but I'm not, because he is the prime minister of Israel, and we want the relations between an American president and whoever is the prime minister. He's the wrong prime minister, I think. You know, we're going to go to election in three month.

But as long as he's the prime minister, you don't want this to be the vocabulary of the conversation not because of -- the question is not whether it's offensive or not. The question is, are we an independent country or are we a vassal country of the United States?

And I think the idea of Israel, the core idea of Israel is that the Jews are taking their destiny into their own hands after the Holocaust, of course. And the fact that Netanyahu, due to all sorts of private matters, is so subjected to the American president, this makes the relationship imbalanced in ways.

So, I'm unhappy with the whole thing, but, you know, these are supposedly private conversations. In public, I think the dialogue is of better quality.

TAPPER: So, lastly, there has been just a sea change in support for Israel in this country.

LAPID: Yes.

TAPPER: Obviously, there's anti-Semitism on the left, and obviously there's anti-Semitism on the right, but that cannot account for all of the disapproval of Israel right now. Do you blame Netanyahu? How do you see it? I mean, there has been a real erosion of support.

LAPID: I agree. I think it's temporary. I think it's the government, not the country. I think, basically, the basic sentiment towards Israel in the United States, left and right, has been positive throughout the years. I mean, you are our greatest ally. We care about this friendship. This is probably -- not probably. This is the most important alliance we have, and the most important, and it's based on shared values. But the current government of Israel doesn't act upon those shared values, and therefore there is the erosion.

[18:25:00]

I think we can change this working together, having an open dialogue with young people in this country trying not to have influence, digital influence --

TAPPER: TikTok.

LAPID: -- and TikTok tactics against American leaders, respect the sovereignty of the political -- American political arena.

So, we just need to do everything differently. But, basically, I think the friendship is there and needs to be re-embraced, and we have to work about this. And the first great step would be a very different Israeli government.

TAPPER: Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell giving something of an update on his recovery or at least his status today as he remains in a rehab center after a fall left him hospitalized. Those new details next.

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TAPPER: In our Health Lead, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky released a new statement and photograph today, or at least his office did, saying he is still undergoing intensive physical therapy and has not yet been cleared to leave a rehab facility following his fall in June. Today's statement comes 15 days after his initial statement, which also met with questions.

Joining us now is Manu Raju. Manu, what did McConnell say, or at least his office say, in this new written statement about his recovery? And what does the fact that they issued a photograph instead of him talking to camera with the film device that is also available to everybody with a smartphone, what does that tell us about where he is in this process?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we still don't know the timing of when Senator McConnell ultimately may return to the United States Senate. It's really uncertain at this moment. There's just been so many questions about this because of the way that they have handled this, Jake.

Remember, it took them about a month to issue the first statement to explain what exactly went on. They said that he had fallen down at his home. He was briefly unconscious. Then he suffered what they called a mild bout of pneumonia, and then he's been in the hospital ever since. And now he's at a rehab facility, and his timing of his return is unclear. He said he will not be at the annual Fancy Farm Political Picnic in Kentucky this weekend. He tends to go to that. It's been going on for decades. He says he regrets not going to that.

And the office of the attending physician here in the United States Capitol put out a statement along with his statement saying, since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild his strength and reduce the risk of future falls. His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to office.

And, Jake, there have been questions, too, about whether he can continue to serve out his term. Remember, he is not running for re- election. He's 84 years old. He said that he plans to retire at the end of this current term, at the end of this year. But if he were to resign before August 3rd, that would trigger a special election by this November, and a special election could lead to all sorts of unpredictable outcomes.

There's no sign that McConnell plans to resign then or even after August 3rd. But if he were to resign after August 3rd, that means he would still be -- well, there would -- that seat would not be occupied until January when the new senator is elected to a six-year term to fill out the seat that Mitch McConnell has held for more than four decades. Jake?

TAPPER: All right. Manu Raju, thanks so much.

Coming up next, we're on the scene in both France and Spain as fires force thousands to evacuate, and officials say it could take months before the fires are out.

Stay with us.

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[18:35:00]

TAPPER: In our Earth Matters series, we take you to France and to Spain where firefighters are battling massive wildfires close to the cities of Bordeaux and Madrid. The effects of climate change and extreme weather are worsening the situation.

We're going to get an update from Spain in moments, but CNN's Melissa Bell starts our coverage in Southwestern France, where officials say the fires could burn for months. Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, these are some of the 42,000 hectares of devastated land here in the Gironde region. And you can see that even as the firefighters continue to try and bring this monstrous blaze under control to the southeast, even those parts that have already been devastated continue to threaten to re-erupt in flames. That is because the weather that we've had, of course, have created these drought conditions, allowing this fire to start, but the winds have continued pushing it over the weekend, and it has become so strong, this fire, and vast, that it has created its own weather systems, its own winds, its own tornadoes, its own momentum.

For the time being, five days in, authorities say that they believe there's a small window now over the next few hours when the moisture conditions in the air are such, the wind a little bit lower than it has been, for them to try and bring it under control. But that window will be small because temperatures are expected to continue rising with yet another heat wave expected by midweek. Jake?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, here in Spain, authorities are still very worried about the wildfires raging Western Madrid. Actually, it's very easy to see the impact of the flames silhouetted against the clear blue skies. You can see a vast, dense column of smoke rising from the blaze. So far, the authorities estimate that this wildfire has scorched around 28,000 hectares of forest area and forced the evacuation of around 30,000 people.

The next few hours are going to be critical as to contain the advance and progress of the wildfires, according to the government, and this is because over the next few days, weather conditions are going to worsen as it is expected a fourth heat wave to impact the Iberian Peninsula on Wednesday. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Paolo Mosquera in Spain and Melissa Bell in France, thanks to both of you.

Let's bring in Michael Mann. He's the presidential distinguished professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He's also the co-author of "Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World".

Professor Mann, Spain's prime minister says that these wildfires are not a succession of isolated events, but, quote, the most painful expression of the climate emergency. To what extent is the climate crisis fueling Europe's wildfire crisis right now?

MICHAEL MANN, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF EARHT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, UPENN: Yes. It's good to be with you, Jake, although, unfortunately, it's usually bad news when you and I are speaking, and that's the case here, and he's exactly right. I mean, we would not be seeing the sorts of wildfires as extended as they are, as pervasive as they are, as hot burning as they burn now, as damaging and deadly as they are, if it were not for the fact that we are warming the planet with carbon pollution, burning fossil fuels, and creating the conditions, creating this fire weather, the sorts of weather that gives rise to these unprecedented wildfires.

[18:40:14]

Hot, dry, you mix those two things together, that's the fuel for these massive wildfires.

TAPPER: Explain how Europe's abnormally wet winter combined with this record hot summer to make these wildfires worse and more difficult to contain.

MANN: Yes, it's a great question. And, you know, it's often these sorts of interactions, we call these interactions because we might not have predicted them in advance, but when we see them play out, we realize that there's a whole new way that climate change is playing out here. And you just alluded to it. You get wet winters that favors the growth, so you get lots of vegetation, then you get those hot, dry summers that vegetation dies, it provides the fuel for those fires combined with the extreme heat. And so it's sort of a one-two punch.

And we're seeing it here in Europe. This June was the warmest June on record for Europe. That's not a coincidence. Back here in the United States, of course, we're seeing our own wildfires. We're seeing these unprecedented heat domes, heat and dryness combining to produce these Canadian wildfires that produce pollution across the Northeastern U.S. that I was breathing in just a week ago.

TAPPER: How does a country even begin to try to prevent its cities and towns from becoming a tinderbox after experiencing such severe weather?

MANN: Yes, well, you know, we need to be doing two things at the same time here. We need to be taking the measures, investing in infrastructure to protect people against these extreme, increasingly deadly and damaging extreme weather events, and we need to prevent it from getting worse. because it will all continue to get worse if we continue to warm up the planet, and the planet will continue to warm up as long as we continue to burn fossil fuels.

So, in the end, the only way that we can truly attack this problem is by attacking it at its source, getting off fossil fuels, moving towards clean energy, and electing politicians who are willing to help us do that.

TAPPER: What's your response when you hear politicians say, look, even if the United States and Europe did everything we could to eliminate fossil fuels, this problem is going to continue getting worse because of China and India and other developing countries because they will not stop using fossil fuels?

MANN: Yes. You know, you often hear that argument, and it's really -- it's a misleading, I would even say cynical argument, because it just isn't true. China is investing so much more in renewable energy. They are actually leading the way, and they are growing their economy by embracing this clean energy transition, and we are falling behind economically because we're doubling down in fossil fuels at a time when the rest of the world realizes where the future is. It's in clean energy. China is embracing that.

And, ironically, you know, during these years the second Trump administration, when the United States is sort of going back on its commitments, China is actually moving forward on its climate commitments. And, hopefully, you know, when our politics align here in the United States in the right way, we'll be able to join them and join the rest of the world in tackling this existential threat that we face.

TAPPER: Professor Michael Mann, thank you so much. I appreciate it, sir.

President Trump in a key battleground state today with less than 100 days until the midterm elections. Will his message help Republicans keep control of the House and Senate? Our panel weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:20]

TAPPER: Midterm elections are just 99 days away. Cue the election music, please. CNN's election jam.

I don't hear it. What's going on? Crisis.

All right, as Republicans fight to -- That's the wrong music. What's going on? Everything's chaotic today.

All right, as Republicans fight to keep control of Congress, Democrats are favored to win back the House, supposedly with a tougher climb in the Senate.

Both parties though are facing significant political hurdles. Republicans are grappling with voters frustrated by the economy, blaming the president's tariffs and the war with Iran for higher grocery and gas prices. Donald Trump's approval ratings are super low.

Meanwhile, Democrats are dealing with the optics of the direction of their party, primary wins by Democratic socialist and anti- establishment candidates, fueling concerns among centrists and establishment people that the party is moving too far to the left, and then, of course, there is all the DNC mess, all the debt and chaos that we discussed in the last panel.

Our panel is here to discuss.

So, midterm season is in full swing. A recent Pew poll shows most voters are interested in hearing about the economy. In Michigan today, President Trump had this to say about the economy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had the greatest economy in the history of the country, and we're blowing it away this time. We're blowing it away. You're going to see the results very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Shermichael, honestly, voters are not buying it. 54 percent and according to a Fox poll shows that 54 percent of voters thinks Democrats would better handle the economy. This used to be a Trump strong, strong suit.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, yeah.

TAPPER: It is not. What -- you know, Trump's reassurance, everything's going to be better or the economy's going gangbusters, blah, blah, blah. We've been talking about this now for months.

SINGLETON: We have for a while.

TAPPER: And he's not listening to you.

SINGLETON: It brings me no pleasure here to acknowledge the simple fact that we have lost a little bit of ground, but I think there's still an opportunity to change course. And I say that particularly because I look at the polling data at my friends on the other side and their net negatives. And then that negatives are surprising for a party that's out of power. Typically --

TAPPER: Yeah.

SINGLETON: -- if this were ten years ago, Democrats would probably be looking at a 40-seat gain in the House. Instead, it's probably going to be a lot slimmer. Why is that? Because despite Whatever objections the American people may have about the way my party is currently handling the economy, I think we ought to listen to the pain points and address them. And I think the president even recognizes that, hence why he's trying to find a quick resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.

That said, they're looking to the other side and they're seeing socialism and they're seeing a lot of these DSA candidates win and they're seeing pronouncements about culture, about the role of government resolution to the conflict in the Middle East. That said, they're looking to the other side and they're seeing socialism and they're seeing a lot of these DSA candidates win and they're seeing pronouncements about culture, about the role of government that the average American says, wait a minute, I am not willing to go this far.

[18:50:03]

And that to me is a strategic benefit to my party despite some of the differences on the economic front.

TAPPER: Americans are somewhat split on which party they agree with on economic policy. Thirty-seven percent side with the Democrats, 36 percent side with the Republicans.

Adrienne, those are horrible numbers for your party. I mean, Democrats should be up like 10 points considering how unhappy people are with the economy.

ADRIENNE ELROD, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, look, traditionally, Jake, you know this, but like traditionally, the Democratic Party is underwater compared to the Republican Party on the economy. So, it's not surprising to me that those numbers are where they are. I also think once we get past the midterms, we have some major successes. We flip probably the House, and we may even flip the Senate. We pick up a couple governor seats and we go right into the 2028 presidential cycle.

You're going to start hearing from more Democrats about their plans for the economy. Also, Leader Jeffries, the leader of the House for Democrats, just put out his "100 Days Out" from the election, his plan, his agenda, what he will do when he becomes speaker after the midterms. So, you're going to start seeing and hearing more of these forward messages from Democrats.

But look, I agree across the board, we need to be capitalizing more on this moment because Trump's tariffs are decimating the American people. Farmers are going out of business. People can't afford to put gas in their cars. They can't afford to put food on the table for their families.

We need to continue to go on offense and make the case of what we will do for the economy when we get power back.

SINGLETON: But instead you're electing socialists who are saying let's have grocery stores that the government controls runs, let's control rent --

(CROSSTALK)

SINGLETON: -- et cetera, things that just don't worry --

ELROD: Places like New York City, which is not emblematic of the United States.

TAPPER: But let us talk about this because Democratic Socialists, the DSA is going on offense and they are having a lot of successes at the ballot box and primaries defeating more centrist or moderate or establishment candidates. And somebody from the DSA actually went on Fox on Sunday, top DSA official Megan Romer drawing a lot of attention for discussing the group's platform in an interview with Fox News.

I don't know if this was done intentionally to help Republicans in the midterms or not, but here's the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS HOST: OK, so we're going to put up on the screen a few of the things that are part of your platform, and I want to ask you just give me sort of a true or false on these.

Abolish the Senate.

MEGAN ROMER, DSA CO-CHAIR: True.

BREAM: OK.

Replace the presidency and Supreme Court as we now know them.

ROMER: Yep.

BREAM: Abolish ICE.

ROMER: Absolutely.

BREAM: Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally.

ROMER: As a long-term plan, yep.

BREAM: Defund the Pentagon.

ROMER: Absolutely.

BREAM: Abolish prisons, at least in large part.

ROMER: Yeah, again, as part of a long-term program, yeah.

BREAM: Okay, so no prisons.

Government or public ownership of most large corporations.

ROMER: Yeah, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Adrienne, thoughts?

ELROD: I mean, is it my job to go out here and defend the DSA?

TAPPER: No, it's not your job, but I'm just saying that the DSA is ascendant in the Democratic Party, and that is, credit to this woman, because if you read the DSA platform, that is what they stand for.

ELROD: Well, good for them, and it certainly does not represent where I stand and where a lot of other Democrats stand.

I mean, here's the bottom line, Jake, I think in some of these areas like New York City, where the DSA candidate, to your point, and to your point, has won the primary, won a contingent primary, that is a different electorate. These are younger voters who are frustrated by high rents. frustrated by high prices.

They also want someone who is a street fighter. And I think that they are willing to forgive some of the past things that people have said if they feel like someone's going to go in there and fight for them.

Now, you also saw this, of course, in Diana DeGette. DeGette's district in Denver, which is also a small little blue dot where there's a lot of younger people. But writ large, you are not seeing a lot of DSA candidates win these contentious primaries. I can point to a number of races. Cait Conley in New York, for example --

TAPPER: Yeah.

ELROD: -- is a moderate national security, has a strong national security background, who won a contentious primary in the Hudson Valley. So, we can also point to people who are doing well, who are moderate,

sort of more establishment types.

SINGLETON: But who's exciting the base? It's these DSA. First of all --

TAPPER: That's true.

SINGLETON: --- look at how crazy this stuff is. Abolish the Senate. Get rid of the military.

ELROD: OK, they're exciting -- they're exciting young people.

(CROSSTALK)

SINGLETON: In a complicated world, no borders, so anybody can come into the country without any type of background checks at all. The government should control every single corporation.

This is where the Democratic Party is going. And I can assure my Democratic friends this, if you run with this mess, Republicans will run every single ad we can in every battleground state and we will win because this scares the hell out of the American people.

ELROD: This is also where we expect people like Shermichael, my dear friend, to go. Of course, you take two one or two comments that a DSA candidate says, and you guys are going to run with that and say that that's your playbook going into the midterms.

[18:55:00]

TAPPER: Thanks to both of you.

A tornado leveled homes, flipped cars, uprooted trees in Wisconsin this afternoon. A look at the damage, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Our last lead start in our national lead. First responders are looking for victims and assessing damage after a violent tornado ripped the roofs off of homes and uprooted trees in northeastern Wisconsin today. Appleton and surrounding towns, about 100 miles north of Milwaukee bore the brunt of the damage. Police say anyone stuck in a damaged area should shelter in place as they conduct rescues.

In our law and justice lead today, former FBI director James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss the case against him brought by the Trump administration. Comey was indicted after posting a photograph of seashells spelling out "86 47". The number 86 often refers to getting rid of something. Trump is the 47th president.

Comey's attorney say there was no actual threat in the post and that Trump is trying to use this prosecution to silence political opposition.

You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.